Stockhausen, Steve Reich, Gubaidulina—what a lineup! In the spotlight is the premiere recording of Reich's latest piece, Jacob's Ladder. We contrast its motoric depiction of the angelic stairway from Genesis with the more austere rendering in Schoenberg’s Die Jakobsleiter written a century earlier, as well as with Sofia Gubaidulina and John Eaton’s unconventional proclamations of Christian mysticism using synthesizers, voice and accordion. We also revisit Stockhausen’s Musik im Bauch for its 50th anniversary with a look at its more astrologically-oriented ritual that spawned the construction of 12 custom music boxes whose Zodiacal melodies became Stockhausen's most popular works. Carter, Scelsi, Ferneyhough and Globe Unity Orchestra also have golden anniversaries to celebrate, and we honor the centenary of Ivo Malec, the 90th birthday of Gordon Mumma and the 80th birthday of the late Hardy Fox of The Residents. New trio albums from Philip Zoubek and Oxygen round out the proceedings.
